Historical Resources for Colt Commercial
Variations
Colt
Archive Properties, LLC in Bloomfield, Connecticut has
most of the historical production and shipping information
for Colt firearms.
The
Archive Letter Price List is available online
in a PDF format. If you would like to receive a factory
letter on a specific pistol, you can contact Colt's directly
for more information at the address/phone number listed
below:
Beverly Haynes
Colt Historian
Colt Archive Properties, LLC
1295 Blue Hills Ave.
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Phone: 1-800-554-8088
Here's an example of the type of information
you will see in a Colt Historical Letter:
The
Connecticut
State Library is also a good source for historical
information pertaining to Colt firearms and history. Their
phone number is (860) 566-3692.
Historical Resources for Colt Military Variations
Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc. - See address above.
National Archives - Genealogy/ Personal History:
Military Personnel
U.S.
General Officer Pistols - a quick link to an index of
pages on Coltautos.com dedicated to picturing and describing
pistols issued to US General Officers along with history
about the officers to whom they were issued.
Office
of Strategic Service Society - with links to
declassified list of personnel.
United States Army Military History Institute - The
U.S. Army Military History Institute ( USAMHI) is an
institute of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.
Their mission is to preserve the Army’s history and ensure
access to historical research materials. They serve as the
primary facility where researchers study Army history.
USAMHI holdings include books, manuscripts, photos, and
maps. Both official and unofficial (or public) patrons are
welcome . They give highest priority to Army users. There is
no fee to enter the Institute. A fee-for-service is charged
for providing copies of holdings to unofficial patrons.
Arlington National Cemetery - A privately
maintained site that contains many of the names of those
buried there along with their military histories. This is
an excellent source of information when researching a Colt
firearm that has been identified with a particular soldier.
Military Times Hall of Valor - The HALL OF VALOR now
contains 97,731 valor award citations of heroes from the
U.S. armed services.
Naval
Historical Center - This is an official U.S. Navy
web site. Their mission is to enhance the Navy's
effectiveness by preserving, analyzing and interpreting its
hard-earned experience and history for the Navy and the
American people.
Online Military Indexes & Records - A Genealogy
Guide. This website is a directory of links to online
military indexes and records for USA genealogy research.
Included are rosters, databases of soldiers, and listings of
military and war casualties. Also included are some links to
sources for military records in other countries (for World
War I & II).
Nationwide Gravesite Locator - Search for burial
locations of veterans and their dependents in VA National
Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries and various other
Department of Interior and military cemeteries.
Springfield Armory (1777 - 1968)
- 1 Armory
Square, Springfield, MA 01105-1299, (413)734-8551 From 1794
to 1968 the Springfield Armory was a center for the
manufacture of U.S. Military small arms and the site of many
important technological advances. A large weapons museum is
now housed in the original Main Arsenal Building.
The US Martial Arms Collector (formerly Springfield Research Service (SRS))
- offers a variety of information on Martial Colt pistols.
Most of the information comes from primary sources in the
National Archives and is available in either printed or
magnetic formats. The SRS also has a quarterly news letter
which is available by subscription. Wayne will only look up
serial numbers for subscribers to his US Martial Arms
Collector Newsletter, and then will reply with "listed" or
"not listed". For more specifics about the listing,
you will have to order one of his letters. For more information,
you can write to:
Wayne Gagner
US Martial Arms Collector
Box 126
Cabin John, MD 20818
Rock Island Arsenal - originally the
site from which most Martial Colt Model 1903 & 1908
Pocket Hammerless Pistols were issued to U.S. General
Officers, historical information on these models is still
maintained here. A letter requesting information
concerning the issue of one of these guns will result in a
response which may or may not confirm that a particular
pistol was issued from RIA. There is no cost associated with
this information. Emails should be addressed to:
TACOM-LCMC, ACC-WRN/DTA
Point of Contact: Shelley Pantalone
Office Symbol: AMSTA-LB/Division 2
Phone: (586) 282-8099
Email:
usarmy.detroit.acc.mbx.wrn-foia-freedom-of-information-@mail.mil
Air Force Link - This data base holds biographical
information on Air Force leaders -- active duty or retired
(since March 1995) general officers, senior civilians
and all chief master sergeants of the Air Force.
The
Generals of World War II - A utopian project trying
to provide biographical data on the army generals of
World War II of all participating countries. So on these
pages you will find information on many thousands army
generals. Taking into account the scope of the project the
information on each general will vary in detail.
U.S. Army Military History Institute Photo Database
- This database is a catalog of American Civil War (ACW)
photographs from the Special Collections Branch of MHI.
Usually, patrons are searching for ancestors, researching
particular ACW regiments, or looking for examples of items
worn or used by soldiers of the period. Ultimately, this
database will reflect the full range of MHI's photographic
collection, ranging from the periods of the Mexican War in
the 1840s to recent operations such as those in Somalia and
Bosnia. As our digitization efforts expand, we hope to
provide links to scanned images through this database.
USMA Howitzer Yearbook Digital Collection - Scanned
copies of yearbooks, most years available.
Submarine Force Museum - The Submarine Force Museum,
located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut,
maintains the world's finest collection of submarine
artifacts. It is the only submarine museum operated by the
United States Navy, and as such is the primary repository
for artifacts, documents and photographs relating to U.S.
Submarine Force history. The museum traces the development
of the "Silent Service" from David Bushnell's Turtle, used
in the Revolutionary War, to the Ohio and Virginia class
submarines.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System - a
computerized database containing very basic facts about over
230,000 servicemen who served on both sides during the Civil
War; a list of regiments in both the Union and Confederate
Armies; identifications and descriptions of 384 significant
battles of the war; references that identify the sources of
the information in the database; and suggestions for where
to find additional information.